


Just an Inkling

by Who_Dat



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, M/M, Tottenham Hotspur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 09:53:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8840026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Who_Dat/pseuds/Who_Dat
Summary: -•-In which Dele gets some Christmas ink,and Eric is a tad overprotective.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, busy couple weeks! Really wanted to do a couple Dele x Dier Xmas fics, and Leicester finally winning a bloody game gave me the motivation to do so. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

The Manchester United game killed Eric. Physically, mentally, emotionally, you name it. Dele knows, because he knows Eric better than he knows himself.

He knows the way Eric locked away his emotions after the game, his face blank, eyes dark.

_Gone._

There's only one other time he's seen Eric go off the deep end like that; last season during the Chelsea game, the less said about that, the better.

If Dele hadn't been so angry with himself, he might've been tempted to say a couple things to the gaffer that surely would've earned him a seat on the bench next to Eric.

Because Poch told Eric to apologize for his whole little _"I'll see him soon"_ rant. Eric didn't mean anything by it... probably, but throwing it back in his face and making him look like an absolute mug was out of line. That combined with Herrera's _"brilliant"_ performance had Dele longing to start chucking things the second he stepped into the dressing room.

Eric didn't say a word, not on the pitch, not on the coach, and not in the cab on the way home.

Dele knows how he feels. It's one of the many reasons they get on so well, they're both awful losers, and they're not afraid to admit it. Still, Eric probably feels like the biggest joke in England at the minute, and it pisses Dele off in more ways than one.

Speaking of the biggest joke in England, he feels like a close second in that race. He had an absolute shocker, and he's definitely gonna hear it in training tomorrow, but that's a problem for then, not now.

Now is about getting Eric a Christmas present. He's not really in the festive spirit, but Eric needs a pick-me-up, and pick him up Dele will, because Dele is Eric's sort-of boyfriend, and to become Eric's actual boyfriend he'll need to please him. An amazing Christmas gift should keep Eric from flying off to Portugal for the holidays, so it's Dele's top priority. His only issue is figuring out what exactly it should be.

Here's the problem with Dele and Eric, they may have similar attitudes, but they come from different worlds. Dele's so _English_ , and... well, Eric's not...

He's never been the brightest, so he's made a list, a list of things Eric likes, but it's not exactly helpful when it comes to Christmas gift hunting.

1\. He loves anything to do with Portugal.  
2\. He loves when Dele wears his clothes, specifically anything with _'Dier'_ labelled on it.  
3\. He likes some of Dele's music.  
4\. He likes cuddling.  
5\. He likes showing off his cooking skills, specifically barbecuing.

He can't take Eric to Portugal, not when he's ninety percent sure he'd ruin the trip with his _Englishness_. He can't just make Eric a new phone playlist, that's so uninspiring it's practically laughable. He wears Eric's clothing all the time, so that's another no. He could offer Eric Christmas sex, but he doesn't need Eric thinking he's desperate to get some, plus if he says no it's back to square one. He also just can't have Eric cook for him, that's basically a Christmas gift to himself!

So the list is a no-go, but he's not giving up. Maybe he's thinking that wrong way. Maybe he should go a bit more commercial and buy Eric something expensive enough to woo him out of his misery.

His brain gets stuck on a new wardrobe, but he's pretty sure he'd be killed just for the thought of that.

A new car's next, but Eric's already got a couple nice ones, plus he takes a cab more often than anyone Dele knows, meaning that's yet another blank.

Gaming systems, appliances, there's just nothing special about any of it, leaving Dele ready to pull his hair out.

Speaking of hair, Eric could really use a new barber, but that's not the best idea in the gift giving department.

In the end he has nothing at all, and he feels awful. First he puts in a pathetic performance on the pitch, and now he can't even please his own boyfriend, it's an absolute disgrace. He loves Eric, yet he can't even come up with a gift to show for it.

Sex might be the best option after all, so he forces himself through a bunch of naughty websites, his cheeks practically tinted red by the end of it. He's never been the pure one in their relationship, but strutting out on Christmas Eve in nothing but a sleek pair of women's underwear isn't exactly something he's looking to embrace.

Still, if it means giving Eric the best Christmas sex of his life, he'll gladly do it, even if it ruins his dignity.

He ends up putting that one aside as a last resort, absentmindedly scrolling through Eric's Instagram feed in search of inspiration.

Nothing, unless he can learn Portuguese in a couple weeks, of course. He's practically a dead man walking.

Ending up on John Stones's feed is something of a blessing. A stray click gives him a nice view of Stonsey's tattoos, creeping out from under the sleeves of his kit, and that gives him a brilliant idea.

Eric is possessive. There's no two ways about it. That's why he likes Dele wearing his clothes! Because it makes it blatantly obvious that Dele is his, even if nobody else can see it! It all makes sense now, and Dele knows exactly what he's going to get Eric for Christmas.

It hurts like a bitch. A solid two hours of torture leave him with nothing more than a a bandage and a slightly bruised ego.

But he did it, just for Eric, although something about having a little piece of Eric on his body makes him a tad giddy.

 _'I love Eric Dier, Eric Dier loves me'_ , just below his hipbone. He thinks it's pretty cute, although he could do without the red ring around it. The artist said it should be alright in the next couple days, so for now he's rocking a bandage over it.

He's praying Eric will like it. If he doesn't... well he hopes tattoo removal isn't as painful as getting the tattoo in the first place.

Eric's car is in his driveway when he gets home, which makes Dele's heart skip a beat. Eric must be in a slightly better mood if he's willing to come over.

"Where were you?" It's curious rather than intrusive, as Eric opens the door for him, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Somewhere." Dele giggles, pushing his way inside. It smells delicious. Eric's definitely made him something, which he'll gladly gobble up.

That something turns out to be eggs on toast, not exactly a meal fit for a king, but Dele's a sucker for breakfast foods, especially when they're served at dinner time, and Eric knows it. Not to mention, he can scramble a damn good egg when he wants to.

Dele takes a seat at the table, his eyes locked on the food in front of him.

"Can I have smiley toast Eric?"

"You seriously want me to cut you smiley toast? Over my dead body." He snorts, taking a seat across from Dele. He's still moody, not that he shouldn't be, but not even Dele's most convincing puppy dog stare can make a dent in his armour.

"Please love?" Still nothing and Dele resorts to cutting his own smiley face, in hope it may brighten Eric's damp mood.

That's his mistake, because his pants slide down a touch when he stands up, revealing a bit of his bandage and the agitated skin around it. Eric's eyes instantly widen, zeroed in on Dele's hipbone.

"What is _that_?" Eric's expression is one of utter concern. He's always been overprotective, which leaves Dele back-pedalling as Eric reaches out to touch him.

"It's nothing, calm down!" He huffs, hiking his pants up. As far as covering himself goes, he thinks he's done a pretty good job, but Eric refuses to drop it, his eyes burning Dele's hipbone to the point he's surprised he doesn't have smoke coming out of his pants.

"What is it? Did someone do that to you?"

"No one did anything! It's just a scratch Diet!"

Eric stands up, the grimace on his face  clear as day, obviously his downplay of the whole scenario hasn't worked the way he would've liked it to.

"Show me."

"It's nothing! I told you!"

"Who did it?"

Eric's outstretched hand brushes his bandage, leaving Dele to jump backward, partially because of the sting of it, but mainly out of total fear that Eric's gonna rip the goddamn thing off. The flinch has Eric going through a whole new wave of concern, Dele can sense the cogs in his brain ticking, trying to determine when and how Dele picked up this injury.

The thought process allows Dele to take a couple more steps backward, straight into the kitchen counter, which sends another jolt through his body.

"Calm down, I'm just clumsy, see?"

_"Who. Did. It."_

Well, someone's persistent today...

"You, in bed."

"Don't lie."

"I'm not lying."

"You're a terrible liar."

" _Eric,_ just drop it."

" _Dele_ ," he mimics his tone, "Just tell me what happened."

Dele snorts, Eric's certainly something else. He chooses to ignore the question, opening the drawer in search of a suitable knife for his task, only for Eric's hands to find his hips, causing him to jump at the sting of it.

"Eric! Don't pull my pants down!" He squeaks, trying to squirm out of Eric's grasp.

"They come off unless you give me an explanation."

"I bumped the railing this morning, okay? I'm clumsy."

"I already told you not to lie." His hands creep to the seams of Dele's adidas joggers, slowly pulling them down to reveal the entire bandage job. Eric's eyes graze over it with extreme caution. Something about the intimacy of the moment leaves Dele dazed before the realization dawns on him that Eric will have no problem ripping off the bandage to reveal what's underneath.

"Eric, stop!" The instant of brown eyes meeting blue gives Dele enough time to hike his pants back up.

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." It's harsh and dismissive, which breaks Dele's heart. He just can't do anything right, can he? He wraps his arms around Eric's waist, burying his head into Eric's shoulder.

"Please don't go." It's soft enough that he's pretty sure Eric thinks he's crying. His expression lightens considerably, rubbing a hand up and down Dele's back.

"Love, what's wrong?" It's the gentle side of Eric, the side the cameras never see. Looks like he's finally back.

"You're being so overprotective..." he mutters, nuzzling closer to Eric's shoulder, "It's supposed to be your Christmas present and you're getting all wound up about it."

"My what?"

"Christmas present, I wanted it to be special."

"And you..." a cheeky grin breaks across his face, "Oh Dele, you didn't."

"I did, you'll be buzzing when you see it."

"When do I get to see it?"

"A couple days."

"What's it supposed to be?"

"A surprise." He teases, nipping at Eric's neck.

The sparkle in Eric's eyes has him pretty sure he's become an expert at this whole gift giving thing.

-

"Okay, moment of truth." Dele takes a dramatic deep breath, causing Eric to fondly shake his head. "Would you like to do the honours Diet?"

"I'd love to." His hand rests firmly on Dele's bandage. It hasn't hurt since last night, and they're both dying to see it, well Eric's dying to see it, Dele's just dying to see his reaction.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

The sting's minimal and Eric's hearty laugh makes it completely worthwhile. His fingers trace over each letter and Dele feels like he's in heaven.

"I love it," Eric's voice is full of joy, "It's beautiful, just like you DelBoy."

Dele grins, greedily bringing his lips to Eric's, "I think you should get one too mate, match me."

"That's a bit sappy, innit?"

"I'd like it. I'd like it a lot actually."

With that Eric leans in playfully, his breath ghosting lustily over Dele's ear.

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to wait for Christmas Day."

-

Fin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
